OpenRaiser/Intern-Atlas huggingface dataset:
Using vs. Purchasing Industrial Robots: Adding an Organizational Perspective to Industrial HRI
Venue: arXiv cs.RO 2024
Year: 2024

Purpose: Industrial robots allow manufacturing companies to increase productivity and remain competitive. For robots to be used, they must be accepted by operators on the one hand and bought by decision-makers on the other. The roles involved in such organizational processes have very different perspectives. It is therefore essential for suppliers and robot customers to understand these motives so that robots can successfully be integrated on manufacturing shopfloors. Methodology: We present findings of a qualitative study with operators and decision-makers from two Swiss manufacturing SMEs. Using laddering interviews and means-end analysis, we compare operators' and deciders' relevant elements and how these elements are linked to each other on different abstraction levels. These findings represent drivers and barriers to the acquisition, integration and acceptance of robots in the industry. Findings: We present the differing foci of operators and deciders, and how they can be used by demanders as well as suppliers of robots to achieve robot acceptance and deployment. First, we present a list of relevant attributes, consequences and values that constitute robot acceptance and/or rejection. Second, we provide quantified relevancies for these elements, and how they differ between operators and deciders. And third, we demonstrate how the elements are linked with each other on different abstraction levels, and how these links differ between the two groups.
Unified External Stakeholder Engagement and Requirements Strategy
Venue: arXiv cs.SE 2024
Year: 2024

Understanding stakeholder needs is essential for project success, as stakeholder importance varies across projects. This study proposes a framework for early stakeholder identification and continuous engagement throughout the project lifecycle. The framework addresses common organizational failures in stakeholder communication that lead to project delays and cancellations. By classifying stakeholders by influence and interest, establishing clear communication channels, and implementing regular feedback loops, the framework ensures effective stakeholder involvement. This approach allows for necessary project adjustments and builds long-term relationships, validated by a survey of IT professionals. Engaging stakeholders strategically at all stages minimizes misunderstandings and project risks, contributing to better project management and lifecycle outcomes.
A Double-Difference Doppler Shift-Based Positioning Framework with Ephemeris Error Correction of LEO Satellites
Venue: arXiv cs.IT 2024
Year: 2024

In signals of opportunity (SOPs)-based positioning utilizing low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, ephemeris data derived from two-line element files can introduce increasing error over time. To handle the erroneous measurement, an additional base receiver with a known position is often used to compensate for the effect of ephemeris error when positioning the user terminal (UT). However, this approach is insufficient for the long baseline (the distance between the base receiver and UT) as it fails to adequately correct Doppler shift measurement errors caused by ephemeris inaccuracies, resulting in degraded positioning performance. Moreover, the lack of clock synchronization between the base receiver and UT exacerbates erroneous Doppler shift measurements. To address these challenges, we put forth a robust double-difference Doppler shift-based positioning framework, coined 3DPose, to handle the clock synchronization issue between the base receiver and UT, and positioning degradation due to the long baseline. The proposed 3DPose framework leverages double-difference Doppler shift measurements to eliminate the clock synchronization issue and incorporates a novel ephemeris error correction algorithm to enhance UT positioning accuracy in case of the long baseline. The algorithm specifically characterizes and corrects the Doppler shift measurement errors arising from erroneous ephemeris data, focusing on satellite position errors in the tangential direction. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed framework, we conduct comparative analyses across three different scenarios, contrasting its performance with the existing differential Doppler positioning method. The results demonstrate that the proposed 3DPose framework achieves an average reduction of 90% in 3-dimensional positioning errors compared to the existing differential Doppler approach.
Lepskii Principle for Distributed Kernel Ridge Regression
Venue: arXiv cs.LG 2024
Year: 2024

Parameter selection without communicating local data is quite challenging in distributed learning, exhibing an inconsistency between theoretical analysis and practical application of it in tackling distributively stored data. Motivated by the recently developed Lepskii principle and non-privacy communication protocol for kernel learning, we propose a Lepskii principle to equip distributed kernel ridge regression (DKRR) and consequently develop an adaptive DKRR with Lepskii principle (Lep-AdaDKRR for short) by using a double weighted averaging synthesization scheme. We deduce optimal learning rates for Lep-AdaDKRR and theoretically show that Lep-AdaDKRR succeeds in adapting to the regularity of regression functions, effective dimension decaying rate of kernels and different metrics of generalization, which fills the gap of the mentioned inconsistency between theory and application.
Adaptive $k$-nearest neighbor classifier based on the local estimation of the shape operator
Venue: arXiv cs.LG 2024
Year: 2024

The $k$-nearest neighbor ($k$-NN) algorithm is one of the most popular methods for nonparametric classification. However, a relevant limitation concerns the definition of the number of neighbors $k$. This parameter exerts a direct impact on several properties of the classifier, such as the bias-variance tradeoff, smoothness of decision boundaries, robustness to noise, and class imbalance handling. In the present paper, we introduce a new adaptive $k$-nearest neighbours ($kK$-NN) algorithm that explores the local curvature at a sample to adaptively defining the neighborhood size. The rationale is that points with low curvature could have larger neighborhoods (locally, the tangent space approximates well the underlying data shape), whereas points with high curvature could have smaller neighborhoods (locally, the tangent space is a loose approximation). We estimate the local Gaussian curvature by computing an approximation to the local shape operator in terms of the local covariance matrix as well as the local Hessian matrix. Results on many real-world datasets indicate that the new $kK$-NN algorithm yields superior balanced accuracy compared to the established $k$-NN method and also another adaptive $k$-NN algorithm. This is particularly evident when the number of samples in the training data is limited, suggesting that the $kK$-NN is capable of learning more discriminant functions with less data considering many relevant cases.
Towards an AI/ML-driven SMO Framework in O-RAN: Scenarios, Solutions, and Challenges
Venue: arXiv cs.NI 2024
Year: 2024

The emergence of the open radio access network (O-RAN) architecture offers a paradigm shift in cellular network management and service orchestration, leveraging data-driven, intent-based, autonomous, and intelligent solutions. Within O-RAN, the service management and orchestration (SMO) framework plays a pivotal role in managing network functions (NFs), resource allocation, service provisioning, and others. However, the increasing complexity and scale of O-RANs demand autonomous and intelligent models for optimizing SMO operations. To achieve this goal, it is essential to integrate intelligence and automation into the operations of SMO. In this manuscript, we propose three scenarios for integrating machine learning (ML) algorithms into SMO. We then focus on exploring one of the scenarios in which the non-real-time RAN intelligence controller (Non-RT RIC) plays a major role in data collection, as well as model training, deployment, and refinement, by proposing a centralized ML architecture. Finally, we identify potential challenges associated with implementing a centralized ML solution within SMO.
PdfTable: A Unified Toolkit for Deep Learning-Based Table Extraction
Venue: arXiv cs.CV 2024
Year: 2024

Currently, a substantial volume of document data exists in an unstructured format, encompassing Portable Document Format (PDF) files and images. Extracting information from these documents presents formidable challenges due to diverse table styles, complex forms, and the inclusion of different languages. Several open-source toolkits, such as Camelot, Plumb a PDF (pdfnumber), and Paddle Paddle Structure V2 (PP-StructureV2), have been developed to facilitate table extraction from PDFs or images. However, each toolkit has its limitations. Camelot and pdfnumber can solely extract tables from digital PDFs and cannot handle image-based PDFs and pictures. On the other hand, PP-StructureV2 can comprehensively extract image-based PDFs and tables from pictures. Nevertheless, it lacks the ability to differentiate between diverse application scenarios, such as wired tables and wireless tables, digital PDFs, and image-based PDFs. To address these issues, we have introduced the PDF table extraction (PdfTable) toolkit. This toolkit integrates numerous open-source models, including seven table recognition models, four Optical character recognition (OCR) recognition tools, and three layout analysis models. By refining the PDF table extraction process, PdfTable achieves adaptability across various application scenarios. We substantiate the efficacy of the PdfTable toolkit through verification on a self-labeled wired table dataset and the open-source wireless Publicly Table Reconition Dataset (PubTabNet). The PdfTable code will available on Github: https://github.com/CycloneBoy/pdf_table.
Better Spanish Emotion Recognition In-the-wild: Bringing Attention to Deep Spectrum Voice Analysis
Venue: arXiv cs.SD 2024
Year: 2024

Within the context of creating new Socially Assistive Robots, emotion recognition has become a key development factor, as it allows the robot to adapt to the user's emotional state in the wild. In this work, we focused on the analysis of two voice recording Spanish datasets: ELRA-S0329 and EmoMatchSpanishDB. Specifically, we centered our work in the paralanguage, e.~g. the vocal characteristics that go along with the message and clarifies the meaning. We proposed the use of the DeepSpectrum method, which consists of extracting a visual representation of the audio tracks and feeding them to a pretrained CNN model. For the classification task, DeepSpectrum is often paired with a Support Vector Classifier --DS-SVC--, or a Fully-Connected deep-learning classifier --DS-FC--. We compared the results of the DS-SVC and DS-FC architectures with the state-of-the-art (SOTA) for ELRA-S0329 and EmoMatchSpanishDB. Moreover, we proposed our own classifier based upon Attention Mechanisms, namely DS-AM. We trained all models against both datasets, and we found that our DS-AM model outperforms the SOTA models for the datasets and the SOTA DeepSpectrum architectures. Finally, we trained our DS-AM model in one dataset and tested it in the other, to simulate real-world conditions on how biased is the model to the dataset.
CARDinality: Interactive Card-shaped Robots with Locomotion and Haptics using Vibration
Venue: arXiv cs.HC 2024
Year: 2024

This paper introduces a novel approach to interactive robots by leveraging the form-factor of cards to create thin robots equipped with vibrational capabilities for locomotion and haptic feedback. The system is composed of flat-shaped robots with on-device sensing and wireless control, which offer lightweight portability and scalability. This research introduces a hardware prototype. Applications include augmented card playing, educational tools, and assistive technology, which showcase CARDinality's versatility in tangible interaction.
Low Latency Transformer Inference on FPGAs for Physics Applications with hls4ml
Venue: arXiv cs.LG 2024
Year: 2024

This study presents an efficient implementation of transformer architectures in Field-Programmable Gate Arrays(FPGAs) using hls4ml. We demonstrate the strategy for implementing the multi-head attention, softmax, and normalization layer and evaluate three distinct models. Their deployment on VU13P FPGA chip achieved latency less than 2us, demonstrating the potential for real-time applications. HLS4ML compatibility with any TensorFlow-built transformer model further enhances the scalability and applicability of this work. Index Terms: FPGAs, machine learning, transformers, high energy physics, LIGO
A Low-Computational Video Synopsis Framework with a Standard Dataset
Venue: arXiv cs.CV 2024
Year: 2024

Video synopsis is an efficient method for condensing surveillance videos. This technique begins with the detection and tracking of objects, followed by the creation of object tubes. These tubes consist of sequences, each containing chronologically ordered bounding boxes of a unique object. To generate a condensed video, the first step involves rearranging the object tubes to maximize the number of non-overlapping objects in each frame. Then, these tubes are stitched to a background image extracted from the source video. The lack of a standard dataset for the video synopsis task hinders the comparison of different video synopsis models. This paper addresses this issue by introducing a standard dataset, called SynoClip, designed specifically for the video synopsis task. SynoClip includes all the necessary features needed to evaluate various models directly and effectively. Additionally, this work introduces a video synopsis model, called FGS, with low computational cost. The model includes an empty-frame object detector to identify frames empty of any objects, facilitating efficient utilization of the deep object detector. Moreover, a tube grouping algorithm is proposed to maintain relationships among tubes in the synthesized video. This is followed by a greedy tube rearrangement algorithm, which efficiently determines the start time of each tube. Finally, the proposed model is evaluated using the proposed dataset. The source code, fine-tuned object detection model, and tutorials are available at https://github.com/Ramtin-ma/VideoSynopsis-FGS.
COVID19-CBABM: A City-Based Agent Based Disease Spread Modeling Framework
Venue: arXiv cs.CG 2024
Year: 2024

In response to the ongoing pandemic and health emergency of COVID-19, several models have been used to understand the dynamics of virus spread. Some employ mathematical models like the compartmental SEIHRD approach and others rely on agent-based modeling (ABM). In this paper, a new city-based agent-based modeling approach called COVID19-CBABM is introduced. It considers not only the transmission mechanism simulated by the SEHIRD compartments but also models people movements and their interactions with their surroundings, particularly their interactions at different types of Points of Interest (POI), such as supermarkets. Through the development of knowledge extraction procedures for Safegraph data, our approach simulates realistic conditions based on spatial patterns and infection conditions considering locations where people spend their time in a given city. Our model was implemented in Python using the Mesa-Geo framework. COVID19-CBABM is portable and can be easily extended by adding more complicated scenarios. Therefore, it is a useful tool to assist the government and health authorities in evaluating strategic decisions and actions efficiently against this epidemic, using the unique mobility patterns of each city.
FedFT: Improving Communication Performance for Federated Learning with Frequency Space Transformation
Venue: arXiv cs.DC 2024
Year: 2024

Communication efficiency is a widely recognised research problem in Federated Learning (FL), with recent work focused on developing techniques for efficient compression, distribution and aggregation of model parameters between clients and the server. Particularly within distributed systems, it is important to balance the need for computational cost and communication efficiency. However, existing methods are often constrained to specific applications and are less generalisable. In this paper, we introduce FedFT (federated frequency-space transformation), a simple yet effective methodology for communicating model parameters in a FL setting. FedFT uses Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) to represent model parameters in frequency space, enabling efficient compression and reducing communication overhead. FedFT is compatible with various existing FL methodologies and neural architectures, and its linear property eliminates the need for multiple transformations during federated aggregation. This methodology is vital for distributed solutions, tackling essential challenges like data privacy, interoperability, and energy efficiency inherent to these environments. We demonstrate the generalisability of the FedFT methodology on four datasets using comparative studies with three state-of-the-art FL baselines (FedAvg, FedProx, FedSim). Our results demonstrate that using FedFT to represent the differences in model parameters between communication rounds in frequency space results in a more compact representation compared to representing the entire model in frequency space. This leads to a reduction in communication overhead, while keeping accuracy levels comparable and in some cases even improving it. Our results suggest that this reduction can range from 5% to 30% per client, depending on dataset.
Towards Automated Machine Learning Research
Venue: arXiv cs.LG 2024
Year: 2024

This paper explores a top-down approach to automating incremental advances in machine learning research through component-level innovation, facilitated by Large Language Models (LLMs). Our framework systematically generates novel components, validates their feasibility, and evaluates their performance against existing baselines. A key distinction of this approach lies in how these novel components are generated. Unlike traditional AutoML and NAS methods, which often rely on a bottom-up combinatorial search over predefined, hardcoded base components, our method leverages the cross-domain knowledge embedded in LLMs to propose new components that may not be confined to any hard-coded predefined set. By incorporating a reward model to prioritize promising hypotheses, we aim to improve the efficiency of the hypothesis generation and evaluation process. We hope this approach offers a new avenue for exploration and contributes to the ongoing dialogue in the field.
BrainDecoder: Style-Based Visual Decoding of EEG Signals
Venue: arXiv cs.CV 2024
Year: 2024

Decoding neural representations of visual stimuli from electroencephalography (EEG) offers valuable insights into brain activity and cognition. Recent advancements in deep learning have significantly enhanced the field of visual decoding of EEG, primarily focusing on reconstructing the semantic content of visual stimuli. In this paper, we present a novel visual decoding pipeline that, in addition to recovering the content, emphasizes the reconstruction of the style, such as color and texture, of images viewed by the subject. Unlike previous methods, this ``style-based'' approach learns in the CLIP spaces of image and text separately, facilitating a more nuanced extraction of information from EEG signals. We also use captions for text alignment simpler than previously employed, which we find work better. Both quantitative and qualitative evaluations show that our method better preserves the style of visual stimuli and extracts more fine-grained semantic information from neural signals. Notably, it achieves significant improvements in quantitative results and sets a new state-of-the-art on the popular Brain2Image dataset.
Adaptive Offloading and Enhancement for Low-Light Video Analytics on Mobile Devices
Venue: arXiv cs.MM 2024
Year: 2024

In this paper, we explore adaptive offloading and enhancement strategies for video analytics tasks on computing-constrained mobile devices in low-light conditions. We observe that the accuracy of low-light video analytics varies from different enhancement algorithms. The root cause could be the disparities in the effectiveness of enhancement algorithms for feature extraction in analytic models. Specifically, the difference in class activation maps (CAMs) between enhanced and low-light frames demonstrates a positive correlation with video analytics accuracy. Motivated by such observations, a novel enhancement quality assessment method is proposed on CAMs to evaluate the effectiveness of different enhancement algorithms for low-light videos. Then, we design a multi-edge system, which adaptively offloads and enhances low-light video analytics tasks from mobile devices. To achieve the trade-off between the enhancement quality and the latency for all system-served mobile devices, we propose a genetic-based scheduling algorithm, which can find a near-optimal solution in a reasonable time to meet the latency requirement. Thereby, the offloading strategies and the enhancement algorithms are properly selected under the condition of limited end-edge bandwidth and edge computation resources. Simulation experiments demonstrate the superiority of the proposed system, improving accuracy up to 20.83\% compared to existing benchmarks.
Evaluating Post-Quantum Cryptography on Embedded Systems: A Performance Analysis
Venue: arXiv cs.CR 2024
Year: 2024

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has finalized the selection of post-quantum cryptographic (PQC) algorithms for use in the era of quantum computing. Despite their integration into TLS protocol for key establishment and signature generation, there is limited study on profiling these newly standardized algorithms in resource-constrained communication systems. In this work, we integrate PQC into both TLS servers and clients built upon embedded systems. Additionally, we compare the performance overhead of PQC pairs to currently used non-PQC schemes.
RAL:Redundancy-Aware Lipreading Model Based on Differential Learning with Symmetric Views
Venue: arXiv cs.CV 2024
Year: 2024

Lip reading involves interpreting a speaker's speech by analyzing sequences of lip movements. Currently, most models regard the left and right halves of the lips as a symmetrical whole, lacking a thorough investigation of their differences. However, the left and right halves of the lips are not always symmetrical, and the subtle differences between them contain rich semantic information. In this paper, we propose a differential learning strategy with symmetric views (DLSV) to address this issue. Additionally, input images often contain a lot of redundant information unrelated to recognition results, which can degrade the model's performance. We present a redundancy-aware operation (RAO) to reduce it. Finally, to leverage the relational information between symmetric views and within each view, we further design an adaptive cross-view interaction module (ACVI). Experiments on LRW and LRW-1000 datasets fully demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach.